Birth of a New Dream
by MercuryDawn
Summary: Up for adoption. Send me a PM if you are interested.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the associated trademarks of the show, including but not limited to: characters, jutsus and information regarding Naruto-verse countries and their inhabitants. I recognize that I will not be paid or otherwise compensated for this work and that I am posting of my own free will.

**Note to readers:** When reading this or any other story on it is important to note that the content stems largely from the imagination of the author. This being said the material will often take a direction not included in the cannon publications of the original materials from which the stories are derived. As an avid reader I realize that there are expectation placed on this piece of fiction, both in its quality of writing and its adherence to the guidelines of the site. As much as I respect the honest opinions of all those willing to review I ask that reviews focus on the story and any suggestions readers have to improve the story. Questions can also be placed in reviews but I ask that readers of this story use the private messaging system to voice questions and concerns. Remember, **Flaming is not Reviewing......** flaming indicates that there is a deeper issue at heart as no one is forcing any one to read any story on this site. If you do not like the story do not read it. If you have a problem with my work I will accept constructive criticism through the private messaging system.

Please enjoy the Following Story.

**Learning Curve**

Naruto was severely annoyed with his placement on Team seven. The sandiame must have been off his rocker to approve the team selection. Naruto was tired of the way his sensei ignored him during team training cessions, opting instead to only work with Sasuke. Sakura had grown increasingly abusive once they had been placed on the same team; But naruto had soon buried the feelings he once held for her, and instead of taking the abuse he took a cold shoulder approach when dealing with her. Sasuke had become even more arrogant as time went on causing Naruto to develop an extreme dislike for the Uchiha. Using his clones Naruto had mostly improved his taijustsu as for the first time he had live training partners. By having some clones hang back and take notes on the fights he soon learned of the painful deficiencies in his style. The reckless brawling he employed only worked on his clones as they used the same style. Naruto himself was easily able to counter and evade the sloppy attacks made by his clones, making it evident that he would need to drastically improve before the justsu was of any real use in a fight.

Deciding to work with what he had, Naruto set out to improve the kage bunshin no jutsu, increasing their durability and the coordination between their attacks. In order to do this Naruto speculated that he would need far more control over the jutsu and a way to instantly communicate with the clones. Naruto knew that his improvements would be impossible without a far greater understanding of the inner workings of the original jutsu, in other words he would need to visit the konoha ninja archives. Naruto came across several starling discoveries on his first trip, the first and the foremost being that the clones memories could be returned to the user if they had the necessary control to draw back the charkra from the clones before they were destroyed. Naruto immediately set out to improve his charkra control.

Contrary to popular opinion Naruto was by no means stupid. And after getting the summary of his skills from his clones he was even more aware of his deficiencies. Naruto had never put much stock into improving his charkra control, in the academy a few simple activities had been suggested to help the children improve their control to a level that they would not pass out after using the E-D rank jutsus taught during the four years that they spent at the academy. For someone like Naruto that had massive charkra reserves the exercises had seemed trifle and Naruto had more important things to do, namely surviving in a city full of people who wanted him dead. Naruto was often accused of being a delinquent, and a majority of the mishaps in the village were attributed to him. The truth of the matter was far different, Naruto had in his early years performed a few pranks hoping to get attention; however after the prank victims retaliated with violence he quickly abandoned the pursuit, yet the stigma had stuck. Naruto had broken into the archive to find a solution to his inability to preform the illusionary clone that was taught at the academy. Naruto had never attributed his lack of success with this technique to his poor control, instead he thought that he had be taught the wrong hand seals for the justsu as he had been for all the other academy jutsus. Naruto had managed to puzzle them out for the most part but he decided to research them as well to see if he could put a personal touch on them.

Naruto had learned the kage bunshin jutsu after overhearing Mizuki, a chunnin instructor, talking to a gray haired teen about retrieving some jutsu scroll and leaving it for pickup in an abandoned shack in the woods. Naruto had jumped at the opportunity to learn new jutsu from an actual scroll and had waited patiently for Mizuki to drop the scroll of and leave. Knowing that he only had a short amount of time between Mizuki's departure and the other man picking up the scroll he had grabbed the scroll and spent the night in the forest, returning to his apartment after attending the academy the next day. Naruto had learned that deception was an important skill for all ninja to have and had played off the Kage bunshin no jutsu as the standard illusionary clone technique, allowing him to pass the academy graduation exam.

With the accelerated learning Naruto was undergoing, he recognized the need for an organization system that would help him sort through the information that was useful. Based on the success of his clones taking notes on his fighting style from different vantage points and thought patterns, Naruto decided to apply the same strategy to his studies. The multiplicity of ideas generated on each new piece of information would hopefully ensure that he did not glance over anything beneficial, as well as optimize his productivity. Naruto knew that it would take time to develop his improvements on the standard jutsus, yet he knew that it would be worth it in the end. Naruto decided to wait for results before letting anyone know what he was attempting, secrecy was after all paramount to the ninja life style.

In his studies Naruto learned of the many clans in Konoha. Due to his status as the village pariah he decided that he should be prepared to deal with any threats to him coming from any of the clans. Thus Naruto began to write his own Bingo Book, listing clan characteristics and special abilities as well as his thoughts on how to counter some of their more common abilities (the only ones published), over time naruto knew that the book would be expanded to include foreign clans and any enemies he might make so he sent out some clones to gather information on other famous shinobi and shinobi clans.

Naruto soon discovered the cause of his relatively small hight. Surviving on ramen and the occasional fruits he would eat was not conducive to proper growing. Naruto knew that it would be difficult to change his diet but for the sake of his physical development, he would add more protein and vegetables to his meals. Naruto found that his physical deficiencies extended beyond poor nutrition, yes he had amazing stamina and resilience, but they were in essence wasted by his inability to properly coordinate his movements to inflict meaningful damage, and his lack of flexibility to avoid taking damage. Naruto realized that he would need to divide his time between his studies and his physical training.

The next morning when Naruto sparred with his clones he could see the fruits of his labor. The past two months of training whenever his team was not doing D-rank missions had definitely paid off. His research was coming along nicely and he had succeeded in improving his charkra control to the point that he could balance senbon needles over each of his fingers and get them to do a variety of tricks. Naruto had learned the wall walking exercise as it was considered common knowledge and thus published in shinobi archives. With his improved control and greater knowledge of how the basic jutsus worked as well as the drawbacks Naruto was able to vastly improve their combat usefulness.

First Naruto had begun work on the academy taught clone jutsu. He had realized that even though the clones had little to no chance of fooling an experienced ninja, the fact that they were intangible and generally dismissed by others as a pathetic attempt at a distraction, could be turned to his advantage if he equipped them with the ability to disperse on contact, leaving behind a thin mist of charkra that could be used to cast a genjutsu. The newly dubbed genbunshin were devastating if applied correctly. Because they were not considered a threat enemies would not waste energy attempting to dodge them, allowing them to contact and directly inject their charkra into the enemy initiating a genjutsu. Naruto had found it easier to mold the charkra for the few low level genjutsus that he knew into the construct for the clone. The possibilities were endless as the clones were not limited to carbon copies of Naruto, they could be anything, an insect, a bird, a leaf, a scroll, a rock, a puddle, anything. Naruto had not yet finished the jutsu but he expected that it would be done within the next month.

Next Naruto had begun work on the henge jutsu. The normal henge simply covered the caster in a film of charkra that bended the perception of anyone looking at them. This worked well against civilians and less than observant ninja but against everyone else it was painfully obvious due to the external charkra use. Naruto had decided to have his kage bunshin attempt the henge in a variety of ways: internalizing the charkra shroud in an attempt to force an actual transformation. This was only partially successful so Naruto decided to wait till he had more information and test results to work with before attempting to preform an actual transformation. Another option explored by his clones was the use of additional hand seals to stabilize the original jutsu and eliminate its' charkra presence this was looking promising so Naruto had his last batch of clones incorporate these theories into making artificial limbs and other things with a sturdier charkra construct. If mastered this would allow greater versatility in a fight as well as complete unpredictability.

Improving the kawimari was proving to be the most difficult. The technique seemed rather efficient in its present state but after intense research Naruto had found that the drawbacks far out weighed the benefit outside of potentially fatal wounds. The kawamiri jutsu required an object to be prepared before hand, and the charkra expenditure was a direct function of the difference in masses and the distance between the two objects. Any ninja with enough charkra control could easily pick up on the telltale signs of the kawamiri being used and react accordingly, in fact the kawamiri could be voided by a strong enough burst of charkra to disrupt the connection between the caster and the intended replacement item. In addition, using the kawamiri placed intense stress on the bodies internal systems, in cases of extended use the internal damage was either fatal in and of itself or lead to the user being incapacitated on the battle field.

Naruto was determined not to let these setbacks deter him from his goal of mastering these techniques and taking them to levels that were previously thought impossible. For the first time Naruto was thankful for his lack of a social life. He had all the free time in the world and now that he had occupied that time with training the he could see the results.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the associated trademarks of the show, including but not limited to: characters, jutsus and information regarding Naruto-verse countries and their inhabitants. I recognize that I will not be paid or otherwise compensated for this work and that I am posting of my own free will.

**Note to readers:** When reading this or any other story on it is important to note that the content stems largely from the imagination of the author. This being said the material will often take a direction not included in the cannon publications of the original materials from which the stories are derived. As an avid reader I realize that there are expectation placed on this piece of fiction, both in its quality of writing and its adherence to the guidelines of the site. As much as I respect the honest opinions of all those willing to review I ask that reviews focus on the story and any suggestions readers have to improve the story. Questions can also be placed in reviews but I ask that readers of this story use the private messaging system to voice questions and concerns. Remember, **Flaming is not Reviewing......** flaming indicates that there is a deeper issue at heart as no one is forcing any one to read any story on this site. If you do not like the story do not read it. If you have a problem with my work I will accept constructive criticism through the private messaging system.

Please enjoy the Following Chapter

**Team 7**

**Flashback two days after the bell test:**

Kakashi grimaced as he was summoned before the Konoha High Council. Meetings like this were never a good thing, Kakashi missed the days when his sensei was Hokage and there was no Council to speak of; yes there was advisors but that was all they did, they had no actual power in the village. Kakashi was worried, he had a feeling that he knew what this meeting was about and he didn't like the prospect of being put on the spot because of the team he was recently assigned.

Kakashi knew that he was placed as the sensei for that team for a reason that the public would never accept; Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha had been deemed 'flight risks' and with the amount of innate talent they possessed, only a jonin of Kakashi's caliber could hope to detain them or if need be eliminate them. This meeting was in all likelihood about his secondary assignment after quiting the ANBU, preventing the creation of anymore Itachi's or Orochimaru's by monitoring the level of strength each crop of gennin possessed.

It was not until this year that he was given a missive to take a team. After spying on the rookies he had agreed with the assessments of Naruto and Sasuke; neither spent much time interacting with others, and even when they did it was for their own benefit. Kakashi was positive that unless immediate, direct action was taken they would leave the village at the first chance that they got.

Sasuke for instance had a craving for power unlike anyone Kakashi had ever met. His obsession with fratricide and hatred were obvious signs of his instability and if Kakashi had been in charge, he would have dropped Sasuke from the program after the massacre. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on a persons view of the "last loyal Uchiha" Kakashi was not in charge. Kakashi had seen many ninja consumed by a lust for revenge during the Iwa-Konoha war and none of them had lived to tell their sob story. Sasuke was walking down a dark path and the special treatment he received did nothing to curb his violent mindset.

Naruto was another special case, like any other jinchurikii, he had the potential to lay waste to a hidden village if given the proper training. Kakashi hoped that Naruto would never receive that kind of training; the people of konoha had given Naruto ample reason to hate them and through his observations Kakashi realized that Naruto did indeed despise the majority of people in Konoha, it was well hidden but Kakashi had seen the murderous intent in his eyes after a villager had attacked him.

The ANBU present had to restrain Naruto from actively pursuing the man after Naruto had already broken both of the mans arms, Naruto had intended to finish what he started. Kakashi realized that there was plenty of blame to be spread around. Naruto's godparents had failed him spectacularly, in fact Naruto had never met them.

The Sandiame had promised Minato that he would look after Naruto and make sure that the village saw him for the hero that he was and not the beast he contained. Lastly Kakashi and the rest of the citizens of Konoha were complaisant in his treatment weather through action or inaction.

With these thoughts in mind, Kakashi entered the chamber.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sarutobi Hiruzen was growing impatient waiting for Kakashi to show up for the special session of the Konoha High Council. Just as he was preparing to dispatch ANBU to locate Kakashi, said man walked into the room. In an effort to expedite time, Sarutobi immediately called the chamber to order.

"Today we are here to decide the methods of approach that will be applied to the gennins, Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Both of whom are persons of interest given their backgrounds and unknown allegiance, Sasuke Uchiha is treading a dark path as he has yet to let go of his revenge, and Naruto Uzumaki has been exposed to certain factors that have caused him to also seek revenge but on a far larger scale.

Today we must find a way to keep them in the village without catering to their ambitions. I ask that the members of this council remember the agreements that surround the two gennin when planning out our course of action."

Sarutobi was nervous, this was an extremely delicate situation and he could not help but worry that the bigotry of the council may create two more nukenin. The members of the council were mainly retired shinobi, clan heads and influential civilians.

In times past such a group would never have existed, the power of the Hokage was absolute in Konoha; but with the death of the Yodiame Hokage things had changed. In the vacuum of power and state of emergency the village was in after the attack of the nine tails, Sarutobi had called for the people of influence and power in Konoha to come to a meeting to ensure that the necessary steps would be taken to prevent the creation of the next generation of nukenin in the form of Sasuke and Naruto, the two gennin most likely to desert or otherwise betray the village.

After calling the meeting to order, Sarutobi presented the facts that made these cases so special. "First we will begin discussion of Sasuke Uchiha. As you all know five years ago before Itachi fled the scene of the Uchiha massacre, he used an advanced sharingan genjutsu on his younger brother. Initial Psych evaluations of Sasuke revealed the early stages of psychosis he has grown increasingly distant and psychotic over the years, making him a prime flight risk. We must decide upon the most efficient way to ensure the loyalty of the young Uchiha while avoiding large scale damage in the event of his defection."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Danzo was the first to speak. "The easiest way to control Sasuke has always been right in front of you Sarutobi, yet you are so scared of Itachi that you have not taken it. Sasuke would be a prime candidate for ROOT training, you and I both know that I speak the truth. By removing the emotions that threaten to run rampant in his decision making we can give him what he wants while retaining control of him."

Kakashi was quick to intervene, "Councilman, while you indeed do bring up a valid point it was my understanding that Sasuke was to remain part of Team 7 under my tutelage. Removing Sasuke from the cell will cause the gennin to ask questions that I assume we won't be able to answer."

Sarutobi found an easy solution " Kakashi perhaps it would be best if we allow Sasuke to remain part of Team 7, at least until after the chunnin exam, when the squads are being rearranged. Sasuke will then be placed under Danzo for emotion eradication and memory burial."

Both Kakashi and Danzo accepted the wisdom behind that, so Sarutobi continued. "Kakashi Sasuke is the greatest flight risk so it might be necessary to focus more so on him than your other students, hopefully one day we will be able to explain this show a favoritism."

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi sighed, he had been afraid that something like this would happen, how was he supposed to instill teamwork in such a dysfunctional squad. With him focused on 'training" Sasuke any chance for a team dynamic would be circumvented by the apparent favoritism.

Kakashi worried especially about Naruto, with the minimalistic training that he had been giving team seven Naruto was bound to get restless. Kakashi could only hope that things would turn out well, perhaps in time Naruto would open up more, having become quite reclusive shortly before the third year of the academy.

XxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Sarutobi took a drag from his pipe. Today had taken a lot out of him. With the way things were shaping up in the village, Konoha could soon see the rise of several more nukenin. The power hungry council members were running aspects of the village to the ground for their own personal gain and soon the ninja of Konoha will no longer tolerate it.

Perhaps it was time to name a successor, yet the question remained 'who could possibly take the Sandiame's place as Hokage', with his two loyal students away from the village, he remained the strongest and most well respected shinobi in Konoha there was simply no one else capable of becoming Hokage. Sarutobi paused his thoughts here, perhaps with a few years of molding 'he' would be ready to claim the Hokage hat.

XxxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kakashi was on his way home when he was approached by an ANBU. "The Sandiame requires your presence in his office" the ANBU announced in the trademark monotone voice. Seeing as the ANBU was sticking around, Kakashi got the hint that he should follow up on the summons immediately. Putting his favorite book away, he nodded and gathered his charkra for the shunshin no jutsu that would take him to his destination.

The Sandiame was waiting patiently for Kakashi, the idea was risky, crazy almost, yet he had a feeling that it would work. Before he made any final decision he would need more information, thus he had called Kakashi. Kakashi knew the latest crop of gennin better than any other under his command, his observations and opinions on the matter would be invaluable. Hopefully the ANBU he had sent out had already found Kakashi, and escorted him to the tower, the Sandiame hated to be kept waiting.

Kakashi lazily walked up the stairs towards the Sandiame's office, hoping that the upcoming meeting would be brief. Kakashi could not help but wonder what could be so pressing that the Sandiame would call him back right after a meeting with the council, 'perhaps he wishes to discuss the wonders of Icha Icha with me' Kakashi theorized. Well a man could dream right? Kakashi took a brief moment to compose himself before opening the back door to the office. "You wished to see me Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi was not in the least surprised by hearing Kakashi's voice, as he had sensed him entering the tower. "Kakashi you are prompt perhaps I should send ANBU to find you every time your presence is required" he mused jokingly.

Kakashi sweatdropped, "That won't be necessary, with the way things are looking, I won't be able to take things easy anymore. My contact's in the ANBU tell me that Iwa and Kumo are mobilizing troops along the borders nothing large enough for an invasion, but enough to send a message. But thats not why you summoned me is it?"

Sarutobi allowed a small smile to appear on his face, if not for his physical ailments Kakashi would be a great candidate for Hokage, he had the talent, the intelligence and the experience needed, yet with his transplant draining his charkra, it would be impossible for him to fight on Kage level for an extended period of time.

Abruptly remembering his purpose in calling the meeting, Sarutobi cleared his throat. "No Kakashi it is not, I require your help in evaluating the current batch of gennin, I am looking for individuals to shift around after the upcoming chunnin exam, just so you know, I expect all of this years squads to be entered, Konoha needs to make a strong showing now more than ever before. I wish to know more about all of Konoha's gennin I have a feeling that they will play an important role in later events."

Kakashi took a moment to ponder the request, the current batch of gennin had potential yes, but he was highly skeptical that any of them would ever reach noteworthy status. They all had problems that they would need to overcome but he figured that most of them would make jonnin within the next five years. Unfortunately, the peacetime training at the academy had inadequately dealt with their childish tendencies, Kakashi could only hope that they would shape up once in the field.

Turning to the Sandiame he answered the question, " To be honest with you sir, Sasuke and Naruto have the most potential to become S-class, maybe even in time for the coming war; yet giving them that kind of power would be a double-edged sword as we already discussed. Shino, Shikamaru and Hinata would make good jonnin, but we would have to force them out of their negative habits. Kiba would make an excellent hunter-nin in a few years with his partner, but he would need to mature a whole lot before he could be trusted to do any solo work. Choji would make a good gate guard or even a decent ANBU if he doesn't lean too much towards the Akimichi clan style. Ino and Sakura would fit in well as medics and ranged support."

"The thing is, those evaluations are based on the limited interactions I have had with them. They may surprise us but I think that it would be easier for me to look into the older gennin teams, the issues that we would have to iron out with this years crop would take too much time for them to make an exceptional showing at the chunnin exam. Don't get me wrong, several of them will probably make it to the finals, but none of them satisfy the criteria for chunnin, unless you are authorizing us to tell them what to work on."

Sarutobi knit his brow in concentration. It was a time honored tradition to wait for gennin to mature into the role of a chunnin, simply telling them how to impress the judges would be a slap in the face for all of the ninja who had struggled through the chunnin selection process. " Kakashi tell the other sensei to focus on improving the existing skills of their squad members even if they do not poses the mentality of a chunnin, they can have the skills of one"

"Kakashi one last thing before you leave, I wish for you to send Naruto to my office tomorrow after Team 7 finishes the mission for the day. I may have found a way to positively redirect his frustrations."

Kakashi nodded, " I will try to arrange things with the other sensei with some experience under their belts, maybe these gennin will be able to pull of whatever plan you have for them Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi turned to the picture of the Yodiame on the wall 'mabey I will be able to keep my promise to you after all.'  


* * *

Please comment and review


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the associated trademarks of the show, including but not limited to: characters, jutsus and information regarding Naruto-verse countries and their inhabitants. I recognize that I will not be paid or otherwise compensated for this work and that I am posting of my own free will.

**Note to readers:** When reading this or any other story on it is important to note that the content stems largely from the imagination of the author. This being said the material will often take a direction not included in the cannon publications of the original materials from which the stories are derived. As an avid reader I realize that there are expectation placed on this piece of fiction, both in its quality of writing and its adherence to the guidelines of the site. As much as I respect the honest opinions of all those willing to review I ask that reviews focus on the story and any suggestions readers have to improve the story. Questions can also be placed in reviews but I ask that readers of this story use the private messaging system to voice questions and concerns. Remember, **Flaming is not Reviewing......** flaming indicates that there is a deeper issue at heart as no one is forcing any one to read any story on this site. If you do not like the story do not read it. If you have a problem with my work I will accept constructive criticism through the private messaging system.

Please enjoy the Following Chapter

A Test

Naruto groaned as he once again assumed a set position; while his shadow clones gave him an opportunity to have sparring partners, they did not pull any punches when facing their creator. Naruto soon realized that the pain was worth it as not only did his taijutsu improved by leaps and bounds, but his clones became even more useful with the improvement in combat skills. While searching the archive vaults of Konoha for a style that was flexible enough to suit his purpose, Naruto realized that his best bet would be to go with his unpredictability, after all it wouldn't do for an enemy to be able to learn about his fighting style by simply reading a scroll beforehand.

Luckily for Naruto, the shadow clone training gave him a great deal of insight into how the human body reacted to perceived threats, and with this information in hand he planned to force opponents into situations where there survival instinct and even muscle memory would place them in a position for him to end the fight swiftly and decisively. 'Soon I will be strong enough; soon I will not need them for protection, soon I will be free'.

* * *

Sarutobi was quickly growing impatient, how long could it possibly take for Homaru, Koharu and Danzo to report to his office. While he disliked their approach on many policies the Sandiame could not deny the fact that besides him they were the most experienced shinobi in the village. Finally after what seemed like hours, the door to his office opened, the three advisors walked in without ceremony, knowing full well that Sarutobi was in a foul mood by this point.

"What took you so long?" He near hissed in his annoyance. Danzo took this as an invitation to speak "Surely Sarutobi you understand that we have other duties within the village, recently there has been some disturbing information based on the annual psych analysis of our active shinobi. As elders and members of the council of fire, it is our duty to look into such matters."

Sarutobi took a drag from his pipe "Be that as it may Danzo, I gave very specific instructions for the three of you to report to this office immediately. Moving on to further matters I believe that you still do not know just why you have all been called here. War is inevitable at this point; we need to start preparing for it. The academy must be transitioned into war time curriculum, and the village security levels should be increased accordingly."

The three elders stood silent, thinking of the ramifications of a Forth Great Shinobi War. Finally Koharu found her voice. "What allies can we count on?" Sarutobi handed each of them the latest intelligence research Jiraiya had given him. "I'm not sure as of right now, this time around things are going to be different. As far as I can tell there will be at least five distinct factions and as you can see one of these factions will be comprised of ten S-class shinobi, a fighting force equal to any of the Great Hidden Villages. Right now the latest estimates put the number of Kage level individuals alive today at 34."

Danzo cleared his throat, calling attention back to him. "Sarutobi you and I both know that not all 34 S-class fighters will be in the war, we are going to need every advantage we can get even if it means using _His_ son as a weapon."

Koharu and Homaru quickly realized what he was implying and although reluctant disagreed. "Danzo what you are proposing could very well start the war in and of itself. There is a reason the boy was given his mother's maiden name."

Danzo was quick to retort "You all know that it would serve as a deterrent to war, I can't imagine anyone foolish enough to attack a village defended by _His_ son and a _jinchuriki_ to boot."

Sarutobi sighed "Danzo what you are proposing is impossible, even if he were to learn of his parentage I doubt he would gain any love for the village, not after everything he has been through here. I have another idea for him that will use his talents in a way that will help us win the war without resorting to that. I propose that we set him up as the head of the Academy"

* * *

Kakashi was confused, he knew that Naruto had been training heavily the last few months based on his posture and increased chakra reserves, however he had yet to see the blond put any of his training to use, aside from his colder demeanor, Naruto seemed to be the same gennin that had graduated at the bottom of his class.

Deciding to force Naruto to reveal some of his new skills he arranged for a team training session that would pit the gennin up against him. Hopefully, they had learned from there last attempt to face him, that they would need to work together and use every skill they possessed if they planned on winning the challenge.

As usual, the team met at training ground 7; knowing that Kakashi would not be on time, even to train Sasuke. Naruto stood off to the side, not caring to interact with his "teammates" in fact on some days, Naruto wished for nothing more than to kill them and make his escape before the scarecrow arrived to find his precious protégé dead.

When Kakashi arrived he was greeted by a glare from Naruto, Sakura as usual screamed at him for being late and Sasuke merely ignored the fact that he was late, eagerly awaiting the day's training. Kakashi was no fool and realized that things had perhaps gone too far and the team dynamic had begun to suffer irreparable damage.

Clearing his throat to get the attention of his team, Kakashi spoke "Listen up guys, we have been training for a few months now and I feel confident that we will be able to handle a C-rank mission instead of the usual D-rank. Also if you guys perform well enough on this mission I will seriously consider nominating you three for the upcoming Chunin Selection Exam. You are to report to the Hokage Tower tomorrow morning by seven o'clock.

Naruto nearly smiled at the mention of the C-rank mission, C-ranks involved leaving the village, and at least some level of danger; hopefully he would get an opportunity to test out his skills on bandits or possibly even enemy shinobi.

Sasuke smirked "Finally a mission where I can test my skills."

Sakura however was nervous, "Not to be rude or anything Kakashi-sensei, but you have not taught us much of anything. Is it really wise for us to go on a mission without the proper training?"

Kakashi with his usual bored tone replied "Sakura surely a team composing of a Jounin and three Gennin can handle a few bandits. We will meet at the Hokage tower tomorrow morning; sharply at seven, then we will escort our client to wave country. Today we will be working on a team exercise. The three of you will attempt to capture and restrain me. You have until sunset starting now."

With that Kakashi vanished into the surrounding forest. Sasuke was soon to follow him. Naruto sat in the clearing and began to meditate. Sakura not knowing what else to do took off after Sasuke, hoping that he would be willing to work with her.

Once Sakura was gone, Naruto began to focus his chakra, attempting to hone in on Kakashi's location by the way his chakra signature would stand out in the forest. Although, this was not his forte, Naruto was proficient enough to detect any one within his range that was not actively masking their signature. Within a few minutes, he had an approximate lock on Kakashi's location. Forming a cross seal he created twenty shadow clones.

After breaking the clones into three groups, Naruto sent them off to rig traps on the viable escape routes from Kakashi's current location, Naruto himself dashed into the forest hoping to catch Kakashi by surprise and coral him into the traps.

* * *

Homaru quirked an eyebrow at Sarutobi's declaration, silently imploring him to explain his scheme.

Sarutobi smiled, having anticipated the question. "It is a simple matter really, someone like Naruto is perfect for the job; he is the example case of why the current academy does not work. Naruto has undoubtedly a lot of potential as a ninja, yet the academy did nothing to cultivate this. Unfortunately the academy only works for those coming from ninja clans who have parents or other relatives to spend time with them developing their skills and giving them insight on things such as chakra control and shinobi history. Even without the bias of the teachers, student without clans, orphans in particular rarely pass the graduation exam and the second test by their Jounin instructors.

Knowing all of this it stands to reason that someone like Naruto who has faced these challenges himself will be better able to address them. Also, having him interact with the younger generations will give him a reason to stay in the village. After the way he was treated he will want to prevent the same from happening to other children, even if it means ignoring his dislike of the older generations. Hopefully the younger generations will see what the current ones cannot. Naruto will not be the only instructor in the Academy, but I will allow him to change the curriculum within reason; if we are to be honest with ourselves, the current academy standards are severely lacking, and with war just around the corner that is unacceptable."

Danzo nodded, seeing reason in the plan, and when Homaru and Koharu made no further comments Sarutobi ended the meeting.

* * *

Sasuke moved through the forest with a determined expression on his face, for the first time since his family had died, he felt content, he was learning at an excellent rate, everyday closing the gap between his brother and himself. With Kakashi's help he had managed to activate his sharingan, something he had kept hidden, hoping to copy some jutsu before people became reluctant to use them with him around. So far he had only managed to copy a few c-rank kanton jutsu, but he was satisfied.

Eventually Sasuke found traces of a trail leading deeper into the forest, smirking, he took off intent on finding Kakashi and seeing how much he had improved.

Naruto threw his rigged contraption towards the masked Jounin, knowing that the other Gennin would soon be alerted to his location.

Kakashi saw the bundle of kunai arching towards him and raised an eye brow, 'what kind of idiot leave the kunai in there wrapping and tries to use them as a projectile'. Kakashi was thoroughly caught off guard when the bundle exploded, showering him with red hot shrapnel and slamming him into the tree with the sheer force of the explosion.

Naruto pressed the assult, not giving Kakashi any time to recover from the unorthodox attack. Wielding kunai's in both of his hands he attempted to incapacitate Kakashi by slicing his Achilles tendons. Of course he knew that there was little chance of his attack succeeding, but it would serve its purpose. As predicted Kakashi jumped high above Naruto's head, allowing an opportunity for Naruto's clones to pepper Kakashi with shuriken.

Being a veteran jounnin Kakashi was able to Kawamari further into the forest to avoid the barrage of shuriken. Naruto could feel Sasuke and Sakura getting closer so he decided that it was time for plan B. Naruto left the area to ready his traps.

When Sasuke heard the explosion he immediately took off in the direction it came from. 'Naruto found Kakashi before me, how is that even possible?' Sasuke activated his sharingan, full well knowing that he would need every advantage he could get. Within a few minutes, Sasuke arrived at Kakashi's new location. He was surprised that Naruto was nowhere to be found but he reasoned that Kakashi had probably already beaten him. Quickly making handseals, Sasuke launched his kanton: edama (fire style: fireball) at Kakashi forcing him to evade. Sakura who had been trailing Sasuke took the opportunity to throw kunai towards Kakashi's intended path, hoping that they would pin him to one of the trees.

While still in motion Kakashi drew his own kunai to deflect Sakura's. Then in a feat of acrobatics he avoided a similar barrage from Sasuke. 'Maybe they did pick up some teamwork, I wonder where Naruto is though?'Sasuke rushed at Kakashi and attempted to engage him in a taijutsu bout. With his sharingan activated he was fairly confident that he could fight Kakashi for a bit, and with some luck, possibly capture him. For Kakashi it was a fairly simple matter to avoid Sasuke's kata's, after all he had spent hours working with Sasuke to refine them. Looking for an opening, Kakashi prepared to put some distance between Sasuke and himself with a well placed puch. With his sharingan activated Sasuke saw the attack coming and smirked. Kakashi had played into his plan. Sasuke brought his hands up to trap Kakashi's arm, he did not expect Kakashi to redirect his attack and was caught off guard. Kakashi used the momentum from the punch to spin into a sweep, sending Sasuke tumbling away.

Kakashi decided to get out of his predicament with a fairly simple strategy, he he wanted to find Naruto and see how far his skills had progressed. Kakashi drew two kunai and threw them simultaneously, one headed for Sasuke, the other heading for Sakura. Then he activated the exploding tags on the kunai, creating a smokecreen for him to dissapear. The attack also served its pupose of putting two of his gennin off balance. By the time the smoke cleared, Kakashi was gone.

Naruto had been waiting for Kakashi to break off from Sasuke and Sakura. Now Kakashi was virtually standing on top of one of his traps. Without waiting for Kakashi to regain his bearings from the shunshin he had used. Naruto sent in his clones to attack Kakashi forcing him to move closer to his snare. Kakashi did not notice the shuriken that had been thrown at him untill he found his sleve pinned to a tree 'Clever, he used the smoke generated by his shadow clones being destroyed to mask his attack' Kakashi easily disloged the shuriken from the tree, only to see that in their trajectory the shuriken had cut several wires. Now on gaurd Kakashi heard the telltail sound of kuni flying through the air. Kakashi spun around the tree and used it for cover; once the last of the kunai hit the tree he darted into thicker cover. Naruto waited until Kakashi had moved to the safety of the denser trees to avoid anymore kunais Naruto had not anticipated this and silently groaned, having expected Kakashi to go on the offensive.

Kakashi was forced out of his hiding place by Sakura attempting to corner him with bunshin. Not wanting to risk seriously injuring her by accident in close combat he jumped back into the clearing and ran away. Naruto, seeing that his plans may bee ruined, sprung the last trap. Kakashi was startled by the sudden appearance of ninja wire surrounding him. Looking around he spotted Naruto standing on a tree branch kunais in hand. Kakashi immediatly prepared a kawamari, but found him self out of objects to replace with 'It seems that Naruto prepared for this beforehand.' Kakashi found himself surrounded by shadow clones.

Sasuke and Sakura found Kakashi trapped by Ninja wire, Sasuke turned and glared at Naruto, 'How could he have trapped Kakashi? Naruto was the dead last, he barely even graduated.' Naruto stiffeled a gap once he saw Sasuke's sharingan 'With those eyes the Uchiha can steal all that I've worked so hard to achieve. I need to pay a visit to the medical library to find away around this.'

Kakashi unaware of the thoughts of his gennin smiled. "Good work guys; remember, tomorrow we are meeting up at the Hokage tower at seven"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the associated trademarks of the show, including but not limited to: characters, jutsus and information regarding Naruto-verse countries and their inhabitants. I recognize that I will not be paid or otherwise compensated for this work and that I am posting of my own free will.

**Note to readers:** When reading this or any other story on it is important to note that the content stems largely from the imagination of the author. This being said the material will often take a direction not included in the cannon publications of the original materials from which the stories are derived. As an avid reader I realize that there are expectation placed on this piece of fiction, both in its quality of writing and its adherence to the guidelines of the site. As much as I respect the honest opinions of all those willing to review I ask that reviews focus on the story and any suggestions readers have to improve the story. Questions can also be placed in reviews but I ask that readers of this story use the private messaging system to voice questions and concerns.

**What it means to be a Shinobi**

Naruto began packing almost immediately after he returned from the team training session. Leaving the safety of the village could be disastrous for him if he was not careful. While Naruto would never claim to be the most politically savvy of individuals, he realized that there were people in Konoha who would prefer it if he were to die on the mission.

Of course no one would attempt anything within the village; no one knew what would happen to the Kyuubi in the event of Naruto's death. It was entirely possible that Naruto's death would free the Bijuu from its prison, resulting in widespread death within the village.

Naruto did not know who his more influential advisories were, but he had sometimes seen their agents trailing him as he travelled to the training grounds. In order to keep his skills hidden, Naruto would normally spend the time meditating, hoping to gain more control over his chakra reserves.

Flashback

One of his kagebunshin had come across a text in the library that explained that in order to truly master ones chakra, one needed to fully understand everything about their chakra, the way it circulated in their body, its texture, and even its density.

So far Naruto had discovered that his chakra was far denser than that of any other ninja he had encountered, further complicating his control problems. Traditionally the chakra needed to perform a technique was measured by volume.

Some stronger ninja like the five Kage's likely had denser than normal chakra, but theirs was not nearly as dense as Naruto's. Naruto grinned to himself as he thought of all the advantages it could bring. Ninja's with high chakra sensitivity would have a difficult time staying in his presence unless he was actively restricting his chakra overflow.

Meditation turned out to be one of the best exorcises for Naruto, as it gave him time to focus on his goals while simultaneously becoming stronger. The more control, Naruto could exert over his chakra the more powerful his techniques would become.

End Flashback

With the revelation of Sasuke's Sharingan, Naruto knew that he would need to devise a mildly effective method of protecting his skills. He knew that it would be impossible for him to fully counter the Sharingan given only of few hours to work on a method, but he should at least be able to avoid having his jutsu copied.

Shadow clones were sent to search the libraries, in an effort to find historic means of countering the Sharingan. The most workable method, given the time table, he had found would be to hide his hands in longer sleeves, preventing a Sharingan wielder from copying his hand seals; this would only be partially effective, as an experienced user might be able to recreate the chakra manipulation need for the technique.

The greatest breakthrough in his plan to counteract the Sharingan came during a spar between some of his clones. The clones had used each other as distractions, masking their chakra manipulations and catching others off guard, with an odd assortment of ninjutsu. The Sharingan was indeed a powerful tool, however it had a glaring weakness, the Sharingan was not nearly as all seeing as the Byakugan, and the Byakugan could be thwarted if one knew of the blind spot.

The method was crude but effective, as long as the Sharingan could not see the techniques being prepared; it would be unable to copy them. Finally satisfied Naruto drifted to sleep.

**7 AM**

Team Seven stood in front of the Hokage's desk awaiting the promised C-rank mission. Sakura was still nervous, but she was also confident that Sasuke would step in to save her if things became bad. Naruto was a bit tired, but given some time, his energy would naturally replenish over the course of the day. Sasuke was excited, this mission was his first chance to leave the village and measure himself against actual enemy instead of his weak classmates.

Kakashi stood behind the team monitoring there stances to see how they felt about the mission, as expected, Sakura was nervous. Kakashi was surprised however by the reactions of Naruto and Sasuke; Naruto looked oddly relieved while Sasuke was twitching in anticipation.

After a brief moment of waiting Kakashi spoke up, "Hokage-sama we are here for our mission."

Sarutobi nodded and reached into his desk, pulling out a folder with the specifics, "This will be an escort mission; you are to protect the client as he makes his way to the land of waves. This is a C-rank Mission, so there is the possibility of an attack by bandits or the like. As this is your first mission outside of the village I want to stress the fact that you are representing Konoha through all of your actions, I expect that you will be on your best behavior."

The gennin of Team Seven nodded in acquiescence. Sarutobi signaled the ANBU in the office to retrieve the client.

Moments later, the ANBU returned with an older man following him. The members of Team Seven took in his curious demeanor with mild anticipation.

Seeing the curious looks the man introduced himself, "I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and wine connoisseur. You must be the ninja assigned to protect me. Remember my life is in your hands and I expect you to do everything in your power to protect me."

Kakashi decide to speak up before any of his gennin got any ideas. "Tazuna-san it is a pleasure to meet you. We are already packed for the journey so we can leave at any moment."

Tazuna nodded, "I would prefer we leave as soon as possible, the sooner I get back to Wave country the better."

Kakashi turned to his squad, "you are to escort Tazuna-san to the gates, and I will meet you there after reviewing the mission specs with the Hokage. You should take the time to introduce yourselves to Tazuna and recheck your equipment."

The Gennin promptly exited with Tazuna in tow.

* * *

As soon as the Gennin left the room, Sarutobi motioned for the ANBU to exit as well. The conversation he needed to have with Kakashi was better held away from curious ears.

After putting up a barrier jutsu, Sarutobi turned to Kakashi, "How far have they progressed?"

Kakashi took a moment to answer, thinking back to the team exorcise the day prior. "Honestly Hokage-sama I must say that Sasuke is at a level that he could fight evenly with most Chunnin, he has a decent repertoire of ninjutsu, and with his Sharingan that is likely to increase. His speed is good enough; he knows how to use chakra to augment his movements so his taijutsu has improved. Lastly his genjutsu needs work, but as you know, I'm not much of a genjutsu type myself, so there is very little for me to teach him."

"Sakura still has not taken her training into her own hands, I can't really fault her for that, she comes from a civilian family, and the academy did nothing to instill good habits into this generation. She is still a bit obsessive when it comes to Sasuke, but I am not sure how to handle adolescent crushes. Sakura seems to be the type of person who needs a lot of direct instruction, or she would fit in well with a specialization that requires more intelligence than physical talent."

"Naruto is still an enigma for the most part, yesterday he showed some interesting skills, his taijutsu is impressive, he has discovered a way to integrate the kagebunshin technique in a way that makes him almost impossible to target effectively. He has also improved his chakra control and as you know, he has found some way to constantly increase his chakra capacity, I'm not sure if he knows how to mask it or not, but it is certainly impressive for any ninja to have reserves that large. He seems to have also improved his planning and critical thinking to a decent level."

Sarutobi nodded at the assessments, "The other new gennin squads are in some ways better off than your squad, but I am afraid that their combat potential is not even close, without involving the Clan Heads, I cannot authorize their instructors to bring them to the next level of training."

Sarutobi paused briefly to collect his thoughts, "Kakashi, I want you to warn Sasuke not to attempt to copy Naruto's techniques, I'm sure you've noticed how secretive he is being, something like that will push Naruto over the edge "

Kakashi sighed audibly, "Very well Hokage-sama"

With a wave of his hand, Sarutobi dismissed Kakashi.

* * *

Naruto sat in front of the gate meditating, calmly reigning in the overflow of chakra that usually permeated the air around him; there was no sense in leaving the relative safety of the village and broadcasting his location to the assassins that might be sent after him.

After a few minutes, he managed to coalesce all of the excess chakra into a semi thin film on his skin, while this would not completely protect him from anything above a c-rank jutsu, it could mean the difference between life and death if he was hit by a stronger one.

With his abnormal chakra density, the film could also be used to defend against physical attacks, by cushioning the force and spreading it over a greater area.

Meanwhile, Sakura was questioning Tazuna about Wave Country. Sasuke was checking his kunai and shuriken to make sure that they were free from defect.

Kakashi arrived shortly after the group had settled into an awkward silence; he mentally patted himself on the back for his impeccable timing. "We should head out now; traveling at night will be risky so we will need all the hours of daylight possible if we intend to make good time in getting to Wave Country"

The guards posted at the gate allowed them to leave after checking their mission papers. Kakashi took note of the increased security and smiled, it seems that Sarutobi was taking steps to weed out spies and other potential security risk. Normally the gate guard would only consist of a few Chunnin, but now, it consisted of two Jounin and an ANBU squad on standby.

After several hours of walking, Kakashi decided to set up camp, in the event that a threat to their client appeared, they would need to be fresh enough to deal with it. Tazuna had taken some camping supplies with him, so he began to set up his tent as soon as Kakashi announced that they were done for the day.

* * *

Naruto did not bring a tent, as the extra weight would slow down his reaction time and force him to carry fewer supplies. Instead, Naruto had packed two waterproof tarps that he could use to prepare a shelter from the elements.

Sasuke had purchased a lightweight tent before the mission, one that was not the most structurally sound, but it would still serve its purpose. If anything were to happen and it became necessary to abandon the camp, Sasuke did not want to leave behind something of value, and the tent had been inexpensive enough that he was willing to part with it at a moment's notice.

Kakashi was mildly impressed that the gennin of Squad Seven had put serious thought into what supplies they would need to bring, they had done pretty well all things considered. He would need to speak with them about certain things but that could wait, as or now, they would need a sentry to watch out for potentially hostile individuals.

Kakashi honestly hoped that they could handle the mission, as it was likely that before the mission was over they will have to take a life. Naruto and Sasuke seemed undaunted by the prospect, but he would need to speak with them and especially Sakura about the possibility.

Naruto had set up a make shift lean-to using the surrounding trees, since he seemed fully settled in Kakashi called him over first.

"Naruto I would like to speak with you for a minute about this mission" Shrugging, Naruto9 made his way over to Kakashi.

Kakashi adopted a serious expression on his face before speaking, "Naruto I'm sure that you have realized by now that if we encounter bandits or any other criminals on this mission, you may have to resort to killing them. I need to know if you are comfortable with this prospect."

Naruto regarded Kakashi silently for a while, thinking over what was just said. "Kakashi if you are worried that I might hesitate to do all that is necessary, then you can rest easy knowing that I am ready to face the reality of this profession. Death is nothing more than one point in the cycle of existence , I am prepared for this eventuality."

Kakashi nodded, not really knowing what to make of Naruto's reply other than the fact that he would kill if necessary. 'I really need to start focusing on all of my students before it is too late, Naruto has already started to question my authority, and it will only get worse'. As Naruto walked away Kakashi remembered a much younger version of Naruto running through the streets after a prank 'what happened to change him so much?'

With that thought in mind, Kakashi called Sasuke over, "Sasuke while I am confident in your ability to face multiple bandits I need to know if you will be able to kill them if it becomes necessary, we have spoken about your ambitions to kill your brother, but I want you to realize how different this situation is."

Sasuke paused, a couple weeks ago he would have no trouble killing if a mission required it, but now the thought wasn't nearly as appealing, Kakashi was right; killing Itachi would be far different that killing anyone else, because he was not devoted to the task.

After a moment of deliberation Sasuke reached an answer, "If I must I will not hesitate to kill them that is what is required of shinobi "

Kakashi raised an eyebrow in bewilderment, 'It took Sasuke longer to decide that he was ok with killing bandits than it took Naruto to come to the same conclusion. It seems that I have been at least partially successful in removing his avenger mentality.'

Kakashi then thought back to his conversation with the Sandiame "Sasuke, one last thing before you go. I know that having an active sharingan makes it tempting to copy every jutsu you see, but I must warn you, copying techniques from other Konoha ninja is strictly forbidden, as you may not have known this you will not be punished for the ones you have already copied, but in the future there will be serious penalty for even attempting to copy other Konoha shinobi's techniques. remember, you are representing not only your self but the entire Uchiha clan, if you want to restore your clan to its former glory, you will need to be careful of how you interact with others, or they will never respect you."

Sasuke was annoyed that he was not allowed to copy anymore techniques but over the past few weaks he had learned that for all of his strength, he was nowhere near Kakashi's level so openly challenging his authority would not be helpful for his long term goals. Nodding to show that he had understood he turned and headed back to his tent, he had a lot to think about tonight.

Kakashi mentally prepared him self for the conversation he knew was coming and called Sakura over. "Sakura, I will be frank with you, this mission may require you to kill in order to protect not only the client, but your team mates, I need to know if you are ready for this."

Sakura stared at Kakashi, her eyes filled with terror, this could not be happening to her, surely her teammates could take care of that sort of thing, Sasuke was strong enough that she didn't have to worry about him, and Kakashi was a jounin, leaving only Naruto to consider.

Sakura tried to rationalize it but gave up after a while, "Kakashi-sensei, I don't see why we can't just knock the bandits out or arrest them, why would we need to kill them?"

Kakashi sighed, "Sakura as shinobi, we are in a limited sense a police force, bandits are often killed on sight because of the negative image they give their country, much like missing-nin, they are too great a security risk to be left to their own devices."

Sakura did not agree however, "Sensei, if we kill them, are we really any better than they are, they are considered criminals for doing the same thing that shinobi do."

Kakashi had nothing really to say about that as he knew it was the truth, but he realized how naïve Sakura was and this was as good a chance as any to teach her something about the world. "Sakura you must understand, where as shinobi perform similar actions, the yare performed for entirely different purposes, shinobi work for the peace and security of their nation, the bandits are merely satisfying there own desires."

After a brief pause Kakashi continued, "There is no easy, clear-cut way to differentiate the "good guys" from the "bad guys", it comes down to a question of why you do the things you do, think about this tonight, we will talk more in the morning."

Sakura nodded, still confused but willing to consider what Kakashi had said. As she maid her way to her tent, she cast one look towards Naruto and Sasuke, wondering what they had said in response to Kakashi's question.

Naruto sat in his lean-to meditating, anticipating the attack he new was soon to come. True to his predictions, an assassin had been sent to 'neutralize' him. Hopefully, he would be able to sneak away from the camp during either Sasuke's or Sakura's watch.

Naruto knew that he could not risk fighting the assassin near the campsite, or Tazuna would be a liability, besides, he had been waiting for an opportunity to test himself against another ninja, with no restriction on which skills he could use.

Waiting until Sasuke's shift had ended, Naruto slipped unnoticed into the forest, past a still drowsy Sakura. Quickly putting as much distance as possible between himself and the temporary camp, Naruto waited for the assassin to make their move.

Within moments Naruto sensed another presence in the area. Deciding to forgo any attempts at conversation, Naruto charged.

* * *

The lone operative had taken steps to ensure that this assassination could not be traced back to his master. The clothes he had selected allowed him to easily blend in with the forest of Hi no Kuni; he wore dark brown shinobi attire, including a Standard issue ANBU mask and a green Chunnin vest knowing that if found, he would appear to simply be another Konoha shinobi that wanted Naruto dead because of the Kyuubi.

Of course, he could not just attack Naruto, especially not with Hatake Kakashi nearby, the attack would be pointless as he knew he was not at Kakashi's level, and the high jounin would not just allow him to kill one of his charges.

It was a simple matter to trail the group as they left the safety of Konoha. And now his mission could commence. Unnoticed by him, was a second presence, one trailing him into the clearing.

* * *

Naruto charged the assassin fully intent on finishing the fight before any chakra leakage could attract unwanted attention from anyone residing in the forest. Wielding two kunai Naruto attempted to get inside the guard of his assailant. Of course there was little chance that this would work, but it would provide a sufficient distraction.

A Kage Bunshin hiding in the vicinity created one Gen-Bunshin, and approached the would be assassin from behind. Knowing that the original could avoid any fatal attacks as long as he was nearby, the Kage Bunshin sent its Gen-Bunshin forward.

Naruto attempted a diagonal slash with his right hand, as he brought his left forward in a stab. The assassin easily avoided both attacks and struck Naruto's wrist as the slash passed by causing him to drop the kunai. With a swift sweep, he forced Naruto back and and caught the discarded kunai. Holding the kunai the assassin channeled chakra into the metal increasing its sharpness and durability.

Naruto knew that the assassin would have more combat experience, and he also realized that using chakra intensive jutsu would open a can of worms that he was not willing to face, he had a feeling that he would need all the chakra he could spare to protect himself from his opponents superior strength.. Instead Naruto would rely on subterfuge. No one to his knowledge had an accurate assessment of his skills so it would be relatively simple to use one of his original techniques to catch his opponent off guard.

The assassin smirked as he observed his prey, he could not understand why anyone would see this kid as a threat, but if they were willing to pay such a great amount, who was he to question their decisions. The first thing he noticed was that his target had little to no actual combat experience, or he would have known better than to use such obvious attacks. Secondly he noticed an almost constant flow of chakra coming off of Naruto but he dismissed it, attributing it to his large reserves and low amount of control.

Furthermore, from the defensive stance that he had assumed it was easy to see all the potential openings just waiting to be exploited. 'This is almost too easy. I was told that the child was a jinchuriki so maybe he has not spent much time developing his own power.'

Without further ado, he began to prod Naruto's defenses, attempting to determine his reaction time and physical strengths. Naruto dodged admirably, avoiding his swings and retaliating with some of his own. Naruto used his smaller side to full effect, and after avoiding an overzealous swing, Naruto threw his kunai directly at the assassins face.

Using reflexes honed from years of combat the assassin dodged the virtually point blank . Naruto having predicted the mans response to the attack managed to deliver a punch to the mans face. At the same moment the Gen-Bunshin reached his location and settled into a taijutsu stance at the Kage Bunshin's mental command.

Now enraged, the assassin decided to finish things, blurring through hand seals he whispered, Ninpo: Konoha shuriken. Trees in the area began to rapidly loose leaves, as the were seemingly pulled towards the assassin. With a wave of his hand the leaves were sent towards Naruto, covered in enough chakra to make them lethal.

The Gen- Bunshin was almost immediately destroyed by the leaves, dispersing its chakra into the air. Naruto waited until the last moment before performing his modified kawamari to switch places with the shadow clone. With the genjutsu taking hold over the assassin, the maneuver went unnoticed. Now a safe distance a way Naruto reviewed his options, he had very few offensive ninjutsu and using the Taijju Kage Bunshin technique would certainly call attention the fight. Taijutsu was almost suicidal against someone who made a living, by killing at a close range. 'Perhaps I can use a strategy similar to the one I employed against Kakashi, the genjutsu should be enough for me to gain an edge.'

With this in mind, Naruto reached into his pouch and gathered ninja wire, quickly threading it through the handles of his kunai, he linked them together and waited for the assassin to make a move.

The operative cursed silently, as he realized that he had been placed in a genjutsu, 'I didn't even see him form any hand seals, perhaps he is more than he seems'. With a swift hand seal, he balanced his chakra flow. To his relief, the haze surrounding his mind cleared. He immediately charged Naruto, deciding to take advantage of his shortcomings in taijutsu. Once he was within striking range he called up his chakra.

Naruto smiled as the assassin readied his chakra, knowing that the man would only be incapacitated for a brief amount of time, he threw the kunai, forming a perimeter around his attacker, the ninja wire connecting the kunai was pulled taunt and with the weight of the kunai behind it it easily ensnared the man.

As he gathered his chakra he realized that something was wrong, he was once again in a mental haze induced by his targets genjutsu. Snarling in frustration he tried to balance out his chakra flow, but found to his horror that the brat had managed to get some chakra into his own system. Realizing that he could not escape the net in time he began to gather his chakra for one last attack.

Naruto leaped into the air, looking for an optimal angle from which to throw his final kunai. From his limited experience, he knew that he should not attempt a ground approach to a downed enemy as they could have any number of surprises prepared for such an occurrence. Once he got a clear shot he pulled his arm back, hoping that he had enough strength to penetrate any armor the assassin was wearing, and took aim. Even as he released the kunai he felt the build up of chakra.

The assassin grinned beneath his mask, now that his prey was in the air he could not dodge. The jutsu he had prepared required no hand seals and virtually no control, suicide techniques rarely required anything more that a certain amount of chakra. Seeing the kunai arch towards him he knew that he would die, but then again so would his target. With the last of his strength, he opened his mouth and spoke "Shine" (die).

Naruto's eyes widened as the chakra the man had gathered exploded violently outward.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the associated trademarks of the show, including but not limited to: characters, jutsus and information regarding Naruto-verse countries and their inhabitants. I recognize that I will not be paid or otherwise compensated for this work and that I am posting of my own free will.

**Note to readers:** When reading this or any other story on it is important to note that the content stems largely from the imagination of the author. This being said the material will often take a direction not included in the cannon publications of the original materials from which the stories are derived. As an avid reader I realize that there are expectation placed on this piece of fiction, both in its quality of writing and its adherence to the guidelines of the site. As much as I respect the honest opinions of all those willing to review I ask that reviews focus on the story and any suggestions readers have to improve the story. Questions can also be placed in reviews but I ask that readers of this story use the private messaging system to voice questions and concerns.

**Crashing Waves**

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the buildup of chakra within the would-be assassin. Out of reflex he created a Kage-bunshin, to throw himself out of harms way. The explosion was not as large as he had anticipated, allowing him to safely land in the branches or a nearby tree.

As the adrenalin built up during the fight dissipated, Naruto came to an alarming realization; 'there is no way that Kakashi did not notice the chakra usage so close to the camp, how will I explain this.'

As Naruto continued to think on his predicament, he came to yet another realization, 'If I knew that there was an assassin following me since I left the village, that means that Kakashi knew as well...'

Before Naruto's thoughts could take a turn for the worse, he was startled out of his musing by a presence in the clearing. One advantage of being the Kyuubi no Jinchuriki was acute hearing, surpassing even that of the Inuzuka Clan. As such, the crunching of dried leaves alerted Naruto to the fact that he was not alone.

* * *

Kakashi approached Naruto cautiously, knowing that after the brief but fairly intense battle that Naruto had been in, he might overreact to any sudden movements. He could not help but let out a sigh at this most recent turn of events. The Assassin sent after Naruto could not have been more than a high C-rank threat, so he did not feel the need to deal with the man immediately.

The assassin obviously knew that he could not hide himself from Kakashi if he were to follow the group, so he did not bother to expend the energy and concentration needed to mask his chakra. After some thought, Kakashi had decided that he would let the situation play out, there was no need to risk the client over an internal problem.

The assassin had taken his inaction as an invitation to attack Naruto, believing that Kakashi hated Naruto and would not interfere, as long as he could get Naruto isolated. At first Kakashi was content to watch Naruto fight, opting to only intervene if thing became dire to ignore. But while observing the fight, he was caught of guard by a Genjutsu.

For a brief amount of time, he had felt his mind fogging up, it became harder and harder for him to concentrate. Knowing that it was a Genjutsu he used a kunai to cut his thumb, the pain being an ample stimulus to clear the fog.

While he was distracted, the fight had apparently concluded and he didn't have much time to react to the suicide technique. As he quickly gathered chakra for a shunshin, he felt his mind start to fog up again.

Now confused Kakashi stopped gathering chakra and unveiled his Sharingan, hoping to find the source of the Genjutsu. After his search yielded no results, Kakashi applied pressure to his thumb, causing him to bleed and once again dispelling the Genjutsu.

As the other person in the clearing approached him, Naruto settled into a basic defensive stance. To his relief he recognized the chakra signature as Kakashi. Deciding not to offer anymore information about the battle than absolutely necessary, Naruto waited for Kakashi to initiate a conversation, hoping that he had not seen too much of the fight.

Naruto did not completely dropped his guard, wary of Kakashi's possible intentions; after all, Kakashi must have known that the assassin was following his team since shortly after they had left Konoha, perhaps Kakashi had wanted the assassin to kill him.

* * *

Kakashi walked slowly towards Naruto, now that he was perfectly visible in the moonlight there was no point in him masking his movements. Outwardly, he was the picture of calm but inwardly his emotions were turbulent. One of his Gennin had not only been the target of an assassination attempt, but said Gennin had handled the attempt in the worst possible way.

Kakashi knew that this would need to be brought to the Sandiame attention, initially he had wanted to see how far Naruto had progressed in his training, hoping to gain some insight into what his solitary student had been working on the past few months. Naruto had surprised him with his combat ability, but had shown no concern for the mission or his teammates for that matter, instead deciding to take on the assassin directly.

Kakashi knew that this tactic was particularly effective against assassination specialist, because they trained themselves mostly on eliminating targets in one move, by forcing them into direct combat, most mid to high level shinobi could at the very least escape, if not kill the assassin. Naruto had forgotten something important, in his eagerness to face of against another ninja, he had forgotten all about acquiring information.

Perhaps it was for the best that Naruto got some live experience, but Kakashi could not help but feel remorse over the fact that Naruto did not ask him for help in dealing with the assassin, surely his pride was not to great to ask for help against a stronger enemy; did he really think so lowly of Kakashi and his teammates that he thought it best to handle the situation alone.

Clearing his throat, Kakashi spoke in the steadiest voice he could muster "Naruto you and I need to talk. Walk with me." Towards the end of his speech, Kakashi's voice had hardened, allowing Naruto to know that it was an order, not a request.

Kakashi decided that being direct would serve his purpose better than his normal cryptic routine, So without missing a beat he began his questioning. "Naruto, what were you thinking, heading of on your own to face an enemy of unknown skill, what if he had an accomplice, or if he was simply a distraction to lure one of us away from the camp, so that Tazuna would be more vulnerable? You do remember that the only reason that we are out here is to protect Tazuna right?"

Naruto shrugged, "I needed to handle the assassin on my own terms, the simplest way to do that was a direct confrontation, something that I could not risk while near the client. I did not consider the possibility of an accomplice, because the only people who would hire someone to kill me see me as a weak fool, not worth the extra cost. Besides why do you care so much, you made no attempt to deal with the assassin, so I dealt with him before he could complete his mission."

Kakashi stared intently at Naruto, "What is the real reason you left the camp to handle this on your own? I thought that I was clear on the importance of teamwork. Be honest, I can assure you that I will know if you are lying"

Naruto bit his lips to force down the retort he was prepared to make. "Kakashi-san, the only thing you have done as a Sensei to this squad is train Sasuke. I have no reason to trust anyone on this squad much less with my life. For all I know, you let the assassin follow us in hope that he would kill me."

Kakashi was taken back by the admittance, 'He really thinks so lowly of his comrades, perhaps I will need to make adjustments in the way I run things, the Sandiame must be informed of this change in demeanor.' Before he could finish his line of thought Naruto turned to leave.

Kakashi decided to let him go, lecturing him on proper field etiquette would only escalate the situation. Besides, Kakashi had much to think on, although he had missed parts of Naruto's fight, he had seen enough to know that Naruto was hiding his abilities, something not entirely surprising all things considered but the implications would need to be addressed before they were given more time to fester.

Naruto returned to the campsite, not wanting to miss anymore sleep than he already had. Even though he held little respect for Kakashi as a person, he recognized the fact that Kakashi was a far more experienced and accomplished shinobi than himself.

As he lay in his tent he pondered Kakashi's admonishment. 'Perhaps I did handle this poorly, but at least I survived. I will definitely need to up my training after this mission, it seems that I need to improve my tactics and sensing abilities.'

* * *

Unbeknownst to Naruto Sasuke had seen him returning to the camp.

At first Sasuke did not know what to think, he had felt the surge of chakra from the direction that Naruto had returned from, but he could not be sure of the cause. For all he knew, Naruto could have been practicing a Ninjutsu and lost control. Sasuke nearly snorted at that idea, while Naruto may not have been anything special during the years spent in the Acadamy, he knew that Naruto had improved tremendously.

Sasuke quickly decided against questioning Naruto as he remembered his recent behavior; before, he honestly could claim that he understood how to provoke any desired response from the blond gennin, but now... well Naruto had changed in ways that no one could have anticipated.

Thinking back on the academy Sasuke realized the amount of potential friendships he had ignored; Kakashi had confronted him about his ambitions and Sasuke could now admit to himself that his goals were misguided at best, Kakashi had described it as survivors guilt. Out of all the people in his graduating class, he had not managed to make one real friend, rivals maybe but no one he could honestly claim as a friend.

* * *

Kakashi returned to the camp shortly after Naruto, and offered to relive Sasuke of guard duty. Sasuke quickly accepted the offer, he had a lot to think about.

Deciding that he needed to spend some time rethinking his evaluation of Naruto, Kakashi kept watch over the camp, all the while pondering what had caused the normally outgoing blond to become near antisocial. Perhaps both he and the Sandiame had overlooked something important concerning Naruto.

* * *

The next morning Tazuna woke up fairly well rested, the team hired to protect him was already cleaning up the campsite, so he was confident that they would be able to complete the rest of the journey to Nami no kuni by midday.

After a light breakfast of ration bars and some water the group headed off. Even with his lack of understanding of shinobi matters, Tazuna was able to tell that something had happened to make some members of the team more tense than they had been the previous day.

Hoping that his secret was still secure Tazuna attempted to redirect the focus of his bodyguards, "Pretty soon you all will be able to see my masterpiece Hi no Kuni doesn't have many large bodies of water, so you probably have never seen any quite like this bridge.

Sakura now curious decided to get some more information about the country they were traveling to. After all, it was her first time on a mission outside of the village, no need to make a fool out of her self by not knowing about the local customs. "Tazuna-san, what is it like to like in wave country?"

Tazuna stopped walking, a look of nostalgia on his face, if one were to look carefully, they would notice amongst the emotions present in his eyes pain. Pausing a moment to regain his composure, Tazuna turned to the Konoichi. "Wave Country is composed mostly of small fishing villages, and some major trading ports. Wave country does not have a Hidden Village unlike some of the other small countries, instead there is a standing Militia, or at least there was."

Kakashi after hearing this last piece of information became very interested in the conversation, perhaps there was more to the mission than what was initially apparent.

All of the members of team seven had taken note of the last statement made by Tazuna, and each were eager for an explanation. Sakura voicing the general question, inquired "Tazuna-san what do you mean by 'there used to be a Militia'? What happened to it?"

Tazuna ignored the questions for a moment, deep in thought about the situation. When he finally found his voice he turned to face the ninja he had hired. Before he had a chance to speak Kakashi tackled him to the ground shouting "Everyone get down"

The other members of Team seven reacted immediately, throwing themselves to the ground. A large blade passing through the air that they had just vacated.

* * *

Authors Note

I apologize for how long it took me to write this chapter. College is far more challenging than I had initially anticipated. I may be adding more to this chapter later, but I decided to at least post something, to let you all know that I have every intention of finishing this story.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the associated trademarks of the show, including but not limited to: characters, jutsu and information regarding Naruto-verse countries and their inhabitants. I recognize that I will not be paid or otherwise compensated for this work and that I am posting of my own free will.

**Note to readers:** When reading this or any other story on it is important to note that the content stems largely from the imagination of the author. This being said the material will often take a direction not included in the cannon publications of the original materials from which the stories are derived. As an avid reader I realize that there are expectations placed on this piece of fiction, both in its quality of writing and its adherence to the guidelines of the site. As much as I respect the honest opinions of all those willing to review I ask that reviews focus on the story and any suggestions readers have to improve the story. Questions can also be placed in reviews but I ask that readers of this story use the private messaging system to voice questions and concerns.

_Last Time:_

. . ._Hoping that his secret was still secure Tazuna attempted to redirect the focus of his bodyguards, "Pretty soon you all will be able to see my masterpiece Hi no Kuni doesn't have many large bodies of water, so you probably have never seen any quite like this bridge._

_Sakura now curious decided to get some more information about the country they were traveling to. After all, it was her first time on a mission outside of the village, no need to make a fool out of herself by not knowing about the local customs. "Tazuna-san, what is it like to like in wave country?"_

_Tazuna stopped walking, a look of nostalgia on his face, if one were to look carefully, they would notice amongst the emotions present in his eyes pain. Pausing a moment to regain his composure, Tazuna turned to the Kunoichi. "Wave Country is composed mostly of small fishing villages and some major trading ports. Wave country does not have a Hidden Village unlike some of the other small countries, instead there is a standing Militia, or at least there was."_

_Kakashi after hearing this last piece of information became very interested in the conversation; perhaps there was more to the mission than what was initially apparent._

_All of the members of team seven had taken note of the last statement made by Tazuna, and each was eager for an explanation. Sakura voicing the general question, inquired "Tazuna-san what do you mean by 'there used to be a Militia'? What happened to it?"_

_Tazuna ignored the questions for a moment, deep in thought about the situation. When he finally found his voice he turned to face the ninja he had hired. Before he had a chance to speak Kakashi tackled him to the ground shouting "Everyone get down"_

_The other members of Team seven reacted immediately, throwing themselves to the ground, a large blade passing through the air that they had just vacated.  


* * *

_

From the shadows, a man grunted he had been hoping for an easy kill, then again if his assumption was correct, he now had an opportunity to face the legendary copy-nin, Hatake Kakashi. Chuckling softly, he formed a ram seal with his left hand, gathering the chakra for one of his favorite techniques. Soon he would have the money he needed and then . . .

* * *

Naruto near immediately felt the buildup of chakra coming from the foliage. It had only taken him a moment to start actively searching for chakra signatures in the immediate vicinity; anyone brave enough to give away their position like that must have a good reason to feel confident. To his dismay Naruto detected 3 additional signals, one of which was too faint to get a lock on. With four enemy ninja closing in on his position, he could only hope that he would survive this encounter.

Naruto didn't bother drawing a kunai; it would be useless unless he held a distinct advantage over his hidden opponents in either speed or physical strength, something that was not willing to risk his life over. By keeping his hands free, Naruto could more easily use jutsu such as kawarimi that could save his life.

Remembering Kakashi's admonition, Naruto slipped around to Tazuna's right side, standing in between him and the foliage. Protecting the client took precedence to his own survival, he didn't like it, but that is what he was being paid to do.

Sakura slowly rose back to her feet wary of any other projectiles, 'It wasn't supposed to be like this, we just left the academy a few months ago' she mused. The whole situation seemed so unreal, and Sakura could not help but to think back to the conversation from last night, 'Is this what being a ninja is really like, none of the books I've ever read talked about the danger and the things you have to do to make it as a ninja'

Sakura drew a kunai, and moved to guard Tazuna 'I guess I will find out soon'.

Sasuke quickly rolled to a standing position and activated his Sharingan. He could feel a sense of dread welling up as he got a better look at the size of the sword the group had avoided. Anyone capable of using such a weapon would be impossible for him to take on in hand to hand combat and he did not have the chakra to keep a fight mid-ranged indefinitely. He could only hope that Kakashi had something up his sleeve.

With this in mind Sasuke moved into a defensive position in front of Tazuna.

* * *

Tazuna was at fist stunned when he was tackled by one of his bodyguards, He quickly realized why such an action was necessary when he saw the large sword embed itself halfway into the trunk of a nearby tree.

'How did they find me so soon?' he wondered as he returned to a standing position.

Suddenly the air became humid, too humid to be natural. A low chuckle was heard before a figure appeared on top of the part of the sword now protruding from the tree. The man wore white pants with black vertical stripes, standard issue combat boots and two grey arm warmers. The lower portion of his face was obscured by bandages. The figure soon disappeared from view as the moisture in the air condensed into a thick mist.

Kakashi groaned inwardly. He had instantly recognized the man standing atop the sword to be Momochi Zabuza, a rather infamous member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. Normally fighting Zabuza would not present much of a problem to him, as his greater speed would allow him to dodge nearly everything in the Nuke-nin's arsenal.

However, while tasked with defending a civilian and his own Genin team, dodging everything could play into Zabuza's strategy by leaving the others open to attack.

As the mist settled in Zabuza's killing intent flooded the area, Kakashi easily shrugged it off; Zabuza had nothing on Minato, Hiruzen or any of the other Konoha legends for that matter.

Tazuna was instantly sobered by the intense blood-lust that permeated the mist. 'This is just what I was afraid of; hopefully these ninja can handle that guy.'

Nearby the Genin all felt the killing intent. Sakura nearly collapsed to her knees under the pressure, never in her life had she been exposed to this feeling, being a ninja was nothing like what she had imagined. Sasuke froze, remembering this same feeling from the night of the Uchiha Massacre, as images of his clan's demise filled his mind Sasuke deepened his resolve to survive and clenched his fists at his sides. Naruto felt the killing intent and grimaced, the situation was more dismal than he had imagined. Years of experiencing killing intent from Konoha shinobi had somewhat hardened him to the feeling but it did not prevent the shiver from running up his spine.

Almost as soon as it appeared, the feeling was dissipated by a burst of chakra from Kakashi that also served to clear some of the mist from the area.

Realizing the need to calm down his charges before they panicked and attacked Zabuza or worse, abandoned the client, Kakashi spoke slowly in a calm voice. "Don't worry, I will be protecting you guys, stay near the client and watch each other's backs."

The three Genin nodded, in acknowledgment of Kakashi's words.

Zabuza's voice echoed through the mist "Surrender the Bridge Builder and you will live, if not" ,he paused before laughing menacingly, "well my Head Cleaving Sword hasn't seen much action recently."

* * *

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the declaration, what could someone like Zabuza want with Tazuna? The only possibility was that Zabuza had been hired to kill him. 'Hiring someone like Zabuza has got to be expensive, why would anyone want a bridge builder dead so badly that they would spend that kind of money?' pushing that line of though away for the moment, Kakashi spun around releasing two kunai into the mist, his efforts were rewarded by a splash.

With reflexes honed through years of combat Kakashi leaped back dodging a horizontal slash intended to bisect him, as he pushed off the ground, he dropped a kunai with a primed explosive tag, causing more of the mist in the area to be blown away. As he landed Kakashi brought left hand up to his Hiate-ate and slid it into place on his forehead, uncovering his transplanted Sharingan.

As the smoke from the explosive cloud dissipated Kakashi spotted Zabuza standing on the small lake in the area. Realizing the disadvantage presented by the environment, Kakashi knew that he could not let the fight drag out. Fighting an experienced Suiton user with such a large supply of water in the area would be difficult, and the more time he spent using the Sharingan the more likely he would be to make a mistake due to fatigue.

Zabuza gritted his teeth in frustration, not only had he lost the element of surprise, he was up against Sharingan no Kakashi. Realizing that now was not the best time for bravado he sent up a kunai wrapped in an explosive note.

Kakashi ignored the kunai, years of experience teaching him that it is never wise to take your eyes off of your opponent. The three Genin however had no such knowledge and followed the kunai's path into the sky to make sure that it was not headed their way.

Finally the explosive note completed its task, the Genin who were still watching the kunai had to shield their eyes from the intensity of the explosion. In that moment, Zabuza's men made their move.

* * *

Gouzu and Mizu emerged from the canopy, as soon as they heard the explosion they knew that they would need to act quickly. Trained ninja, even Genin, could employ lethal skills if given time to act; Gouzu and Mizu were certain that the brats had been observing the kunai when the tag went off and thus the would be disoriented for a moment, a perfect opening.

Gouzu and Mizu had been chunin in Kirigakure, but their collaboration abilities put the pair on par with most jounin. They had even managed to gain some notoriety with their signature bladed chain and the attack patterns they had mastered that employed the chain.

While Kirigakure was primarily known for the skill of its swordsmen, the vast majority of its' ninja forces were unable to wield swords on the level of the (Seven Swordsmen of the Mist). Sacrificing speed for the strength needed to wield any of the greatswords was simply out of the question for the bulk of the ninja population, only masters of the (silent killing technique) such as Zabuza Momochi, or chakra powerhouses such as Kisame Hoshigaki could afford to move slower in a serious battle.

The chain employed by the (Oni Brothers) was made up of a series of shuriken shaped links, each link was razor sharp. The chain was attached to the brothers by the gauntlets, forming a physical link that further solidified their teamwork. Performing combinations attack with the chain was tricky when facing off against a high level opponent, but against a few disoriented Genin, it would be almost pitifully easy.

* * *

I will be updating this chapter later, I finally have some time to work on this story again.


End file.
